The Bengal government’s initiative to provide jobs to MGNREGA job card holders without central funds has fallen flat as the state could provide 18 days of work on an average to only 28.44 lakh workers.

A report submitted to Nabanna on November 2 reveals that 28.44 lakh workers were engaged in 64,933 schemes of state departments since August this year.

The figures suggest that it is almost impossible to match the MGNREGA in generating jobs for rural people as about 1.5 crore job card holders in the state got at least 40 days of work on average in the past few years.

“MGNREGA funds are essential to meet the demand for jobs in rural areas. It is good the state is trying to take actions recommended by the Centre to get the funds,” said a senior bureaucrat.

The state started engaging MGNREGA job card holders in schemes of its departments after the Centre froze funds citing misappropriation. But it is not enough.

A letter by chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi to secretaries of all departments on November 3 says: “As per the online data available, job card holders engaged by all the executing departments is not satisfactory.”

Dwivedi asked secretaries of the departments to hire unskilled labours with MGNREGA job cards. Senior bureaucrats said the initiative sounds good at a time when central funds are not available, but the state alone can’t provide jobs to 1.5 crore people.

“The state’s financial condition does not allow it to undertake major projects. So the scope to hire unskilled labours is limited. Bengal’s austerity drive does not allow most departments to take up projects worth over Rs 30 lakh,” said a bureaucrat.

Another official said departments like the PWD and the PHE with large projects hire contractors who have their own workers.

Also, the construction of roads, bridges and buildings mostly require skilled labour.

The irrigation department does require unskilled labourers to repair embankments but has been facing a funds squeeze.